There was so much to see, and so many things to do. Lurid tried not to overburden herself with thoughts of the future, looking too far ahead and not focusing on the now often led to unwanted consequences. Instead she focused on the here and now, choosing to learn more about this place and work out just what had been affected by the smoking of the recently erupted volcano that loomed in the distance. The faint scent of a pack lingered on the wind, blowing in from the east, and Lurid made a mental note not to cross into the distant territory. It could not be denied that there was some curiosity about the pack, but it was too soon to go meeting and greeting with any other monarchs. She wanted them to know her by the dynasty she ruled, not her fresh faced beginnings. A calm stillness came over the landscape, and moonlight was cast onto the ice encased faces of the rocks, giving Lurid the perfect camoflage in her pale finery. Reflective irises glinted with lavender and moonlight, the only things that gave her away in the washed out scape of tan marble and ice. She rather liked this place, she could hide in plain sight if she kept still enough.

"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'You.'

ART by BRIENA

Alright so… she was pretty sure when Whiskers found out she had wandered off without telling her, Ears, or hell even Acere where she was going, she was prooooobably going to get chewed out. Ah well. She needed a moment of peace away from all this pack stuff. Just having all the noise and scents in one place again was enough to overwhelm her… though, admittedly, it was kind of nice to hear the voices of others wolves again too. Ones that weren’t immediately hostile or commanding her to take another’s life was just the bonus. Wolves who weren’t slaves… she had to be dreaming… when the hell was that going to end? When was someone going to scream at her to wake up as she was tossed back into the void she’d known, fighting, where the weak were left to die and the strong survived to slay another day?

She wasn’t sure where she was but she knew it was close enough to Winterfell. She didn’t really want to go too far either since her leg was far from healed. She was still grumbly that the male had STABBED her. Sure she had trespassed but she didn’t mean to! Well, according to Whisker’s lovely lecture other packs wouldn’t be as kind and forgiving as Acere was. Not only had Bells trespassed but she had fought with one of his members… she’d have been a slave again if any other alpha caught her.

Bellamy snorted.

No.

She’d die before living on her knees again.

She wasn’t really paying attention, grumbling to herself, so when the wind shifted and she finally picked up on the scent of a stranger Bells lifted her head with a startled snort. Sure enough, there in front of her, was another wolf. About her age but taller…

Bells shifted, favoring her bad foreleg, and flicked her ears back with uncertainty. Fur bristled and she narrowed her eyes without daring to speak yet. Her posture spoke of a guarded hostility. She wouldn’t strike first… but she would not hesitate to strike back if needed.

Lurid canted her head to the side as she barely caught the scent of another before the winds shifted, turning with the direction of the wind, her brilliant eyes caught the dark figure of another. The giantess stood still, watching as the other scented her in turn and began to get...defensive? Well now, how interesting. With a long sigh, the dark minded goddess moved forward slowly, holographic eyes shining in the night. Never settling, the winds shifted in the broad space between them, bringing the scent of the nearby pack with it. The scent of them was a bit stronger now, and Lurid was clever enough to piece together the puzzle that was the stranger. This was not the land that was claimed, so why was this wolf being so guarded? Slipping forward soundlessly, Lurid moved to close the distance but remained a respectful girth away. "What's got you on pins and needles, doll?" A brilliant smile swept over her face, though the gesture seemed...odd. "Did I alarm you so badly?" Surely that was it, had to be, why else would a wolf greet one with such a posture? Unless, rumors of her had already spread to the nearby lands, that one girl had the scent of pack in her pelt. It had been a slip of anger, but the girl had stepped on her paw. Oh well, if she had been spoken about she would run with it. In the meantime, this wolf was just slightly unreaonable in her approach. Lurid's own expression grew tight, but it tried to look apologetic. Wouldn't do to go pissing off a pack wolf so close to their home, now would it?

"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'You.'

ART by BRIENA

Bellamy had little time to dwell on her thoughts now. Guarded as she was, she half expected this stranger to make some claims that this land, too, had been claimed. She didn’t want a fight, not with her leg still healing and her figuring out the customs and oddities of this land. It had been a mercy that Acere and his pack responded as well as they did to a trespasser. It still churned her stomach… the thought that, had she not been so lucky, she could have just as easily wound up a slave again. They had seen her broken, the weakest side of her, and that too had Bells rolling with feelings she wasn’t quite certain of. She hadn’t decided if she actually trusted Acere or not. She wanted to believe… believe he was a good man and that his pack was the way her parents had told her a pack should be. Of kings and queens who cared for their people and didn’t use them… ones that gave the option of choice and valued the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of others.

As she watched the stranger, uncertainty in her gaze, Bells didn’t move. She knew with her leg still healing if it actually came to a fight she was at a disadvantage… and she was alone too. Ears and Whiskers were back in Winterfell, or so she assumed, and it made her all the more nervous. She relied on them a lot for emotional support and back up now… they were her family. But surely she could handle this?

The stranger spoke, keeping a respectful distance. Bells kept her gaze fixed on the other woman’s face. She couldn’t quite read her and that alone had her all the more wary. There was a familiar feeling of ‘don’t trust’ rising in her gut. She needed to proceed with caution… until she knew more about this stranger. Intentions, allegiances… anything of the sort that could either confirm or shatter her suspicions of an untrustworthy individual. Whiskers had told her time and time again that she was far too guarded with all creatures… but Bellamy had her reasons. Not wanting to get hurt again, manipulated and used was a pretty damn good one.

“I’m not exactly used to meeting others in this land.” She spoke of Boreas as a whole… and spoke the truth. “I haven’t been here all that long.. And I’m still getting used to how all the wolves and packs here operate.” Another truth, her words hard, though they didn’t hold any threat or outright anger. “Is it… normal for strangers to approach each other differently here?” She tried to keep a control on her word choice but it was hard not to slip into her usual demeanor. That part of her, however, often seemed to cocky and could help encourage tempers to flare… not exactly desirable right now.

Listening to the other woman speak, Lurid tilted her head, causing holographic eyes to appear white for a moment. With the winds shifting as they did it flowed between them, a mixing of scents and a myriad of of stories. It followed that Lurid gathered the information she had needed to soothe her curiosity about the wolf. She was new to the lands as well, and the fact made Lurid smile in an almost bittersweet way. Oh had this one been a lone wolf without the scent of a pack on her. She certainly was pretty enough, but alas, it seemed a strong pack held her loyalty and Lurid would stay her jaws for that reason alone. "I truly wouldn't know what constituted as normal here, I too am not from these lands. My own home was destroyed, and so, here I am." Lurid sat politely, trying to appear non-threatening, though it was difficult to do so when there was such an aura of darkness around her. She had grown up in it, after all, how could she not exude that which groomed her for life? Still, Lurid was in no mood to pick on a pack wolf, and so the encounter would turn into an odd standoffish information exchange. "I am called Ghost, what is your name?" The brutal giant asked, keeping as gentle-mannered as she could. Fantasies of violence ensued in the moon goddess's mind, casting shadows in her gaze, though she seemed relaxed and open. One day, she would have what she longed for. Learning patience was the most difficult thing she had to do, but there were plenty of things to discover. Her family would have to wait for her, but she would build for them. She would be patient and glean all of the knowledge that she could about this place before she would bring her family into the land.

OOC: Sorry for the crappy post...I am working on muse problems XDD

"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'You.'

ART by BRIENA